Well, it's official:

[Seneschal]

I have a pet rat. I don't really like rats or mice very much...I normally feel very little guilt for feeding them to my snakes...but this one grew on me.

She's possibly the first rat in years which hasn't bitten me when I held it, which helps. But she's cute and I think a dumbo...and...yeah. She's in an old bird cage (it's more than large enough for her, with small enough spaces between the wires that there's no way she could get out) with a little wheel and chewy stuff and food bowl (I got some nice ceramic ones for $1 (perfect for her and baby-subadult balls!) at petco on clearance! :eek and a little swing I've seen her on a few times...any other toys I could give her? She gets a mixture with lots of seeds and dried fruits and some chew-block things and I give her some of what we eat (following the guide; no citrus and stuff like that) and...yeah!!

I've named her Miss Rat. My cat is afraid of her. I'll get pictures eventually but she never holds still. Her fur is a lot shinier and clean-looking and healthier than it was when I got her, and she doesn't stink as bad either. >.> I think I'm going to find a different place to buy feeders from. Theirs aren't very healthy or well taken care of.

Just thought I'd update on the rat, hopefully without causing a fight.

[littleindiangirl]

Hey that's great news! I love my ratties. ^.^, Just something to think about in case, do you have a wire floor in the bird cage? I know that it's very easy for the rats to get bumble foot if they never get a rest from the wires. I don't know how bird cages are set up.

as for toys, they love pretty much anything they can run through, chew and stand on. Toilet paper rolls, balls, chew sticks, another rat, lol, it's very easy to keep them entertained. Awesome on the decision! I hope she works out for you.

[SatanicIntention]

I would get her out of the bird cage and into either a solid bottom wire cage like the ones made by Super Pet(the rat starter or Guinea pig starter cage is a good size for 2 rats) or the white wire cages that Petsmart carries(All Living Things brand). You also need to get her a friend. If you're not spending about 95% of your day with her, then she needs a friend. Much easier that way and she'll get rattie socialization.

Also, the seed diet is going to be junk. Too much fat and no nutritional value whatsoever. Try making the mix I put up in the feeder section, it's very inexpensive(except for the organic senior dog food-don't use crap food) and is very good for her.

www.ratguide.com is a very good guide for owning ratties.

[Ginevive]

Yes; rats are very social animals. The only time I house them alone is when they are on the verge of giving birth (I breed them) until their babies are weaned.
Becky had some great advice too

[juddb]

Rats are actually awesome pets. Especially male rats. My females will usually take a bite at me any chance they get. But i still love and spoil the hell out of them. Good luck with him. www.ratguide.com is a great website like statnic intention had already stated.

[frankykeno]

There's a great sticky for a homemade dry food mix that Becky feeds. Really great stuff! I change it up here and there with similar products on sale but use it as my guideline for dry mix. The rats love it and it's rarely wasted. For kitchen scraps here's a great website to read....

http://www.ratnutrition.com/suppleme...forbiddenfoods

Do try and get your rat a same gender cage friend. They are such social animals that if they are left alone they become stressed and that can come out as biting you type behaviour. Rats teach each other that play bites HURT...so they learn that from the interactions and tend to be less nippy with you. Lots of handling by you and special hand fed treats will help them see you as a great person who brings food (rats are driven by their stomachs LOL).

[Seneschal]

Well I've taken the wire bottom out and she's got aspen substrate straight on the solid bottom of the cage, and it has a solid little wall thing going up about 3 inches before the mesh of the cage starts, so I figured that was okay and better than the 10gal I had her in originally; lets her climb if she wants and has better ventilation so no stinky. It's easier to clean, too. Really it's the same as those rodent cages except that I can add a grate bottom if I want.

As for the seed diet, yeah, it's mostly a matter of getting my mom to stop going "ZOMG BUT THE PET STORE SAYS SO!" and let me feed what I want...but I've been sneaking her a lot of our healthy cereal and some of what we eat to supplement the seeds...I chose the particular mix because it had more dried fruit and nuts than seeds, and I hoped that would help even it out.

Regarding getting another rat...at the moment I have it where my cat (he can't hurt her or anything and he's more scared of her than she is of him!) can poke his nose to the cage and they sniff noses so she hopefully won't get lonely...I'm waiting until I can find a friendly, female rat from a place I trust. I don't want to keep buying feeders from the place I have been, since I don't think they're healthy.

I want a healthy, friendly, non-disease carrying friend for her. (And, y'know, also one that won't impregnate her...>.>;; I'm not ready for that yet!)

[Seneschal]

There's a great sticky for a homemade dry food mix that Becky feeds. Really great stuff! I change it up here and there with similar products on sale but use it as my guideline for dry mix. The rats love it and it's rarely wasted. For kitchen scraps here's a great website to read....

http://www.ratnutrition.com/suppleme...forbiddenfoods

Do try and get your rat a same gender cage friend. They are such social animals that if they are left alone they become stressed and that can come out as biting you type behaviour. Rats teach each other that play bites HURT...so they learn that from the interactions and tend to be less nippy with you. Lots of handling by you and special hand fed treats will help them see you as a great person who brings food (rats are driven by their stomachs LOL).

Thanks Jo! *grin* That really helps (the bit about the rats teaching each other not to bite) and I'll have to start hand-feeding her. I like giving her little slices of carrots by hand and she seems to really like those, and she likes the little flakes of healthy cereal stuff from my hand, too. So far she hasn't bitten me, so hopefully she'll keep it up, and I'll make sure to find her a female ratty companion soon. Thanks!